Our Plastic Problem
How does SG dispose of plastic waste?
By burning waste in plants. We have 4 incineration plants/ waste-to-energy (WTE) plants: Tuas, Senoko, Tuas South, and Keppel Seghers Tuas Waste-To-Energy Plant. After incineration, the ash is transported to Semakau landfill to be buried. The heat from the combustion generates superheated steam in boilers, and the steam drives turbogenerators to produce electricity.
Incinerable waste is transported by refuse collection vehicles to the WTE plants. A weighbridge weighs the vehicle before and after they discharge their loads into refuse bunkers to help keep track of the amount of waste disposed of by each vehicle. Refuse bunker is kept below atmospheric pressure preventing bad smells from escaping into the environment. Bulky wastes are broken down by high-capacity rotary crushers so it’s easier to incinerate. The waste is transferred to the incinerator from the bunker using a grab crane.
The incinerator operates at temperatures very high temperatures (850-1,000 degrees Celsius). Thus, to prevent the incinerator walls from extreme heat and corrosion, a lining of refractory material protects. After incineration, the ash is left with about 10% of its original volume.
To remove dust and pollutants from the flue gas, the gas will undergo an efficient flue gas cleaning system which consists of electrostatic precipitators, lime powder dosing equipment, and catalytic bag filters before it is released into the atmosphere via 150m tall chimneys.
Finally, the ash is sent to the Tuas Marine Transfer Station and transferred to the offshore Semakau Landfill. Semakau Landfill which is located offshore 8km south to the left of the main island and has an area of about 3.5 square kilometers is where we bury our non-recyclable waste that can’t be incinerated. To create space for the landfill, the part of the sea off Pulau Semakau and Pulau Sakeng is enclosed by a rock bund. Lined with impermeable membrane and marine clay, the rock bund secures the leachate in the landfill.
